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My heart is pounding – here is a chance to see these magnificent creatures in their own habitat. I gesture to ask whether we are safe. He gives me a reassuring ‘OK’ signal.

This – the abundance of spectacular sealife - is one of the reasons why holidaymakers travel to the Maldives.

Taking in the turquoise: Carol stayed at the luxury Halaveli resort

I am staying at Constance Halaveli, a
five-star resort on a paradise island in the North Ari Atoll.

Its 84
villas are built on stilts, stretching out into the turquoise Indian
Ocean from the cake-mix-soft white sand on the shore.

The villas, a spa and an a la carte restaurant are accessible via a winding, slatted-wood pier.

Thankfully there are jugs of water along the way – shoes are optional, and in the heat, the ground can become incredibly warm.

My high-ceilinged water villa is curved into the shape of a dhoni (a traditional Maldivian boat). It is also indulgently spacious, with a bedroom, an entrance area and a bathroom that has an extravagant stand-alone bathtub. It is the sort of feature which demands that you laze about with the terrace doors open, overlooking the calm ocean. Outside, there is a plunge pool, along with sunloungers and steps that lead into the shallow water, alive with marine life – from mantas to baby reef sharks.

Primary colours: Visitors to Halaveli can swim with an array of tropical fish

After my thrilling (and slightly
terrifying) session of shark-spotting, my adrenaline is racing. So my
companions and I keep up the momentum and head out on the resort’s
jetskis.

We make our way slowly from the island, so as to keep noise to a minimum and not disturb any of the sub-aqua inhabitants. But once we are in open water, we are free to play, speeding up and bouncing over the waves as we race to a deserted sand bank, the spray splashing in our faces.

Our destination is an idyllic 50-metre dune. Lunch – handmade sushi, sandwiches and brownies – arrives by speedboat. I sit with a glass of bubbly in hand, looking out over the too-blue ocean, the sky clear, with a few tiny islands in sight. I could get used to this.

Window on the world: Halaveli's water villas gaze directly onto the ocean

The Maldives had never been on my radar – perhaps for all the wrong reasons.

I had visions of being bored, stuck on a tiny island.

However,
with an outdoor tennis court (which has been graced by none other than
Roger Federer), and the possibility of windsurfing, kayaking,
wakeboarding, water-skiing or heading out by catamaran, Halaveli has
enough to keep even the most active occupied.

But the real draw for me is the diving. The resort is in a prime location for underwater explorers. The next morning, we dash out by boat to Fish Head, the most famous dive site in the Maldives.

Jumping overboard, we descend into a school of fusiliers. Going deeper, the world is suddenly teeming with life. Surgeon fish dart around my air bubbles as we pass blue-striped snappers, barracudas, napoleons. It is astounding. Then, in the distance I see a giant shadow heading towards me. It is a massive manta ray gliding through the water.

Road to paradise: Halaveli offers a wide selection of water villas - and a pool with sweeping views of the sunset

But this creature is too beautiful not to watch. He later tells me that I missed a two-metre grey reef shark swimming with remora fish. Oh well, once you’ve seen one shark, you’ve seen them all…

Travel Facts

Carrier
(0161 492 1358, www.carrier.co.uk) offers seven nights at the Constance
Halaveli resort from £2915 per person, based on two people sharing a
water villa – including breakfast, return flights from London Heathrow
with Qatar Airlines and seaplane transfers.